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French baroque at its best:
The Italian-born Francesco Corbetta and his French student, Robert de Visée, were the most prominent figures in a guitar craze that swept through the French musical world in the 1670s and 1680s. In fact, both men were regarded as the greatest players of their time. Corbetta had already sparked a similar mania in England in the 1660s, as musical instructor to no less a figure than King Charles II. De Visée, moreover, played an important part in "importing" the theorbo from Italy to France, where it quickly replaced the lute as instrumental accompaniment and was incorporated into the bass line of most orchestral works, something the lute just wasn't suitable for. But on this excellent recording we hear works scored for guitars and theorbos alone. The tonal quality of a theorbo is somewhat deeper than that of a lute, that of a guitar is rather higher and "crisper." The overall feeling of a duo for theorbos is one of stoical profundity, even mystery. The "villanelle" from De Visée's mellow E minor theorbo suite is perhaps the most haunting four minutes of music I've ever listened to, calling to mind the wandering ghosts of noble French loves of the 17th century. Among Corbetta's two suites for guitar recorded here is the second volume of his "La Guitarre Royale," dedicated to Louis XIV, a work that with its dissonant opening chords evokes the triumph of battle (in particular, the taking of Maastricht). Eric Bellocq and Massimo Moscardo have certainly done a service to the Naxos label and to their dedicated period-instrument ensemble, Le Concert Spirituel. This listener, for one, is eagerly awaiting their future releases.
A theorbo lover's delight:
This recording was a real discovery for me. I have always loved the sound of the theorbo, with the unstopped diapasons sounding out from the bottom of the instrument. Usually they are confined to the continuo section, but here they can be heard on their own. The suites by de Visee were originally for one player, but were ingeniously reworked by the composer for two. The texture is very thick, but transparent due to the incisive attack of the plucked strings. The suite in e minor is particularly fine, especially the Sarabande with it's delicate mordents and the most poignant petit reprise I have heard. I acutely regret that Moscardo and Bellocq have never recorded more of this repetoire, for I find it extremely enjoyable. The guitar works by Corbetta are also very nice, although I do find myself concentrating on the Visee suites when I listen to this disc. At the price Naxos is offering this, there is no reason at all to not purchase it. This is elegant, sophisticated music, played on obscure, beautiful sounding instruments by players of great sensitivity and artistry.
| Binding: | Music Download | | Genre: | baroque-period-music | | Release Date: | 1999-02-12 | | Running Time: | 3704 seconds |
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